Hat-rounding machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' O. H. REID.

"HAT ROUNDING MACHINE. v No. 473,238. Patented Apr. 19, 1892.

WITNESSES: I INVENTOR Saw/Z dd. a. m r r I.

ATTUHNEY (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2 G. H. REID.

v HAT ROUNDING MACHINE.- No. 473,238. Patented Apr. 19, 18792.

1 INVEN-TOB imam? llisrrno CHARLES H. REID, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

HAT-ROUNDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,238, dated April19, 1892. Application filed June 8, 1891. Serial No. 395,551. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. REID, a citizen of the United States,residing at Danbury in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-RoundingMachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to hat-rounding machines, but particularly refersto the mechanism for actuating the hat clamping and cutting devices.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of myimproved machine; Fig. 2, a plan View.

Similar reference characters denote like parts in both figures of thedrawings.

1 is the bed of the machine, supported by legs 2.

3 is a platform bolted to the bed, and 4 a sliding carriage on saidplatform. Upon this carriage is mounted the finger 5, to which latterthe knife-bar 6 is pivoted at 7.

8 is the knife secured in the forward end of the bar 6.

Since the construction of the finger and bar and the operation of theknife and finger are the same as in the majority of hat-roundingmachines, I will enter into no further description of these parts, butwill merely state that in rounding a hat the bar is raised, so that thebrim may extend between the finger and knife, and said bar lowered andsecured by U the usual thumb-piece 9.

10 is an L-shaped lever pivoted at or about its knee to an extension 11from the bed. 12 is athumb-screw swiveled through the upper end of thislever and engaging with anut 13 on the carriage 4, by means of whichscrew the normal adjustment of the carriage may be effected in orderthat the initial position of the knife may be determined.

14 is a screw swiveled to the platform 3 and engaging with a nut 15,carried by the lever 10, and 16 is a hand-wheel by which said screw isoperated to elevate or lower the inner end of said lever for the purposepresently ex plained.

17 is a vertical shaft having a ball-bearing 18 journaled within the bed1, so that said shaft will be capable of a rocking movement. 19 is ashoulder on said shaft, by which the latter is supported on the bed. 20is a head integral with the upper end of this shaft and having a flange21 at the bottom. rounding-table supported on said head, and 23 thecrown-block surmounting the head and table. \Vithin this block areradial channels 24, in which are fingers 25, while around the lateralcircumference of the block is an expansible steel band 26.

27 is a spindle, which extends through the shaft 17 and has a freeindependent movement therein, said spindle terminating at the top in acone 28 and at the bottom in a head 29, which latter is supported on thelower end of the lever 10. The apex of the cone extends normally betweenthe inner ends of the fingers 25, so that it will be clearly understoodthat when the wheel 16 is operated to elevate the inner end of the lever10 the cone will be raised, thereby forcing the fingers outward andextending the band 26. This lastdescribed mechanism constitutes theclamp whereby the crown of a hat is firmly held during the rounding ofthe brim.

30 is the form secured on the flange 21 of the head 20, and 31 is a shoesecured around the pin 32, so as to have a free vertical adjustmentthereon. This pin depends from the platform 3 and is threaded at thelower end, whereby a nut 34 on said end may be operated to adjust thenormal elevation of the shoe for the purpose presently explained. Thisshoe bears against the form 30 at two points 35 36, as shown in dottedlines at Fig. 2, said points constituting an end and a lateral bearing,respectively.

37 is a spring secured at the ends to the bed 1 and shaft 17,respectively, whereby the form is always drawn against saidbearingpoints.

The shape of the form is the same as is commonly exemplified in allhat-rounding machinesnamely, elliptical-the lengthwise diameter beingthe same throughout the height of the form, while the diameter crosswiseincreases from the top to the bottom of the form.

22 is the 38 is the power-pulley secured on the lower end of the shaft17.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: A hat is placed inposition with the crown on the block and the brim on the rounding-table.The cutting-knife is normally adjusted to a predetermined distance fromthe crown of the hat and the brim inserted between the finger and knife.Power is now communicated to the shaft, and the rounding-table isthereby I'GXOlVQd. As the form revolves it will of course be drawntoward the knife or forced away therefrom, according as said form at itsvarious diameters revolves against the shoe, and this variable movementtoward and away from the knife is regulated by the shape of the form.The knife will thus out a predetermined oval to the hatbrim.

I claim 1. In a hat-rounding machine, the combination of the pivotedL-shaped lever 10, the

knife-carriage to which the upper end of said lever is connected, thespindle 27, supported on the lower end of said lever and having on itsupper end a cone, the hat-clampingmechanism, and means, as a screw, foroperating said lever, substantially as set forth.

2. In a hat-rounding machine, the combination, with the knife-carriageand the hatelamping mechanism, of a pivoted L-shaped lever whoseextremities are connected, respectively,with said carriage andmechanism, and means for rocking said lever on its pivotal point,whereby said carriage and clamping mechanism are operatedsimultaneously, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES II. REID.

Vitnesses:

GEORGE W'ALLEMAN, J. S. FINoI-I.

